INTERACT
WITH
LITERATURE
George Orwell – James Joyce – Virginia Woolf
Relationships
by Antonella Mignani
A task-based
stylistic analysis and
critical study of short
passages and stories
TEACHER'S
TEACHER'S BOOK
BOOK
A NIMAL F ARM
Synopsis
Students can be asked to go through the synopsis and the while-reading activity: a before
reading and working through the passages, as a warm-up activity; or b after reading the
passages and doing the activities, as a round-up or follow-up activity.
The notes students are asked to make from the synopsis will help them understand the notion
of plot. A class discussion may follow if the students differ in their choice of what the main stages
of the plot are.
I: What Old Major said
1 b suggested answers:
• The animals live like slaves and in terrible conditions. (lines 1-9)
• The cause of the animals’ misery is Man, who exploits them for his benefit only. (lines
10-51)
• The solution is to rebel against Man’s tyrannical rule, in order to establish an ideal
community based on freedom, equality and fraternity. (lines 52-62)
• The animals must be careful to keep to the ideas and rules they decide upon,
whatever problems they may come across in the future. (lines 63-9)
2 He asks all the animals to vote on a controversial question. (lines 70-82) He is teaching
them that all issues and disagreements must be resolved through general consultation and
that the opinion of the majority wins. In addition, the leader is simply a member of the
community; his main task is that of supervizing legal proceedings.
II: Rules
3 The pigs appear to be taking all the decisions. Students should be encouraged to notice
that the pigs are the subject of action verbs like “taught themselves”, “sent for”, “led the
way”, “explained” etc., which underlines their role as leaders, while the other animals never
do more than follow the pigs’ orders. The only time the animals are the subject of an action
verb (line 32) it is to show their complete agreement with what the pigs have decided for
them.
4 The Seven Commandments are a successful simplification of Old Major’s principles. The pigs
have cleverly made them easy enough for all the animals to understand.
The first and the second discussion points are both acceptable. The third is incorrect because
there is no evidence of there being violent intentions against anyone.
5 Open ended.
3
III: Changes
V: Time Passes
6 The pigs have moved into Jones’s house, take their meals in the kitchen, use the drawing
room as a recreation room and sleep in the beds, breaking the Fourth Commandment.
Squealer convinces the other animals that the pigs, who work for the common interest and
general benefit of all the animals (lines 4-8), deserve a different (better) lifestyle. He
successfully stops any further questions by threatening the animals (in this case Muriel and
Clover) with the dogs, (as students should be guided to infer from lines 21-5).
7 They are altering the records of the past (lines 16-20) because they want to gain special
privileges for themselves. Muriel and Clover dismiss their suspicions because they have been
led not to trust their own senses or memory. The political use of lies and threats is now
showing devastating results on Animal Farm; the leaders are exploiting the fact that the
animals (= common people) believe what they want to believe or are deceived into
believing simply because they do not have the knowledge to face up to the truth.
10
Points to consider
Before the
Rebellion
After the
Rebellion
economic situation of
the farm, machinery,
equipment and profits
the farm was not well
managed, the profits
all went to Jones
more prosperous
better organized,
the farm is bigger,
new equipment and
buildings, including
a windmill (with
another one under
construction)
better
lifestyle, share of
work and level
of education
• the pigs
• the dogs
all the animals lived
in terrible conditions
the pigs and dogs
have a much
improved lifestyle, they
supervize and organize
the farm. The pigs
spend a lot of time
writing files etc.,
which are destroyed
as soon as they are
finished
the other animals
seem to live as they
always have –
working hard and
living in great poverty
better
the pigs
similar
8 Open ended.
IV: Comrade Napoleon
9 Napoleon has become an absolute ruler; the pompous titles (lines 12-16) are meant to
suggest general consensus and good leadership, covering up Napoleon’s evident betrayal
of the principles of the Rebellion. He also appears to have successfully removed any
opposition to him.
• the other animals
management of the
farm: who makes
decisions, administers
profits and distributes
work
Mr Jones and
his men
Similar, better
or worse?
similar
The distance between the pigs and the other animals is made even greater by the mystery which
surrounds the pigs’ “brainwork” (lines 18-29). Students should be encouraged to notice the pigs’
underlying idleness.
11 The aim of this activity is to trigger off a class discussion. All the suggested alternatives are
acceptable, provided students back up their choice with relevant quotations from the text.
4
5
The Novel as a Whole
VI: Other Changes
12 b
Aspects to consider
At the beginning
Now
relationship with
the other animals
equal
leaders
relationship with/similarities
to the humans
subjected to the same
conditions as the other
animals
business
relationship;
increasing
similarities
to humans
The pigs now give orders to the other animals and do many things in secret. The ideals of
a democratic community no longer exist on the farm. The pigs are becoming increasingly
similar to men; Napoleon even carries the whip which was one of the symbols of Jones’ s
hated reign – see Synopsis (line 21). The similarities are both physical (lines 17-29) and
behavioural (lines 59-69).
13 The single Commandment now written on the barn wall underlines the hierarchical structure
inherent in Animal Farm. Before this latest change, hierarchy existed only in practice, this
single commandment officially recognizes and sanctions the inequality on the farm. The
pigs have re-established the order which existed before the Rebellion and have successfully
convinced most of the animals that the present situation is completely different! In cancelling
the Seven Commandments the pigs have removed all traces of the past, in this way the
other animals have no concrete proof that life was in fact different before.
14 The pigs now control production and administer all resources. The leaders of the revolution
have become conservatives whose aim is to maintain their position of power. Students
should be encouraged to notice how sinister the image on line 29 is, and how its isolation
in the compact lay-out of the page stresses its emotional impact.
1 Open ended.
2 Napoleon was the French emperor who started a revolution to change a corrupted political
system, but became a tyrant himself. Orwell seems to imply that all revolutions, whatever
the social, historical and political context, begin by promising an improved standard of
living, freedom and equality for everyone but end in repression or dictatorship.
3 a
Character
Stands for ...
Napoleon
Stalin (1879-1953), the Bolshevik leader who betrayed
the ideals of Russian Revolution (1917) becoming virtual
dictator of the USSR until his death.
Squealer
His name suggests his function in the novel (to squeal = 1
to make a long high-pitched sound; 2 (sl.) to give secret
information esp. to the police about the criminal activities
of someone you know). He embodies propaganda, a sort
of talking Pravda, the official Communist Party newspaper.
He may be modelled on Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of
Propaganda, who succeeded in presenting a very
favourable image of the Nazi Regime.
Snowball
Trotsky, Stalin’s great political rival. Unlike Stalin, Trotsky
strongly believed in encouraging the world-wide spread
of Communism. He also believed in the modernizing of
Russian industry.
Old Major
The philosopher Marx, whose political ideas inspired the
Russian Revolution and its political leader, Lenin. Old Major
is essentially a thinker, not a politician. The song Old Major
teaches the animals – “Beasts of England” – which
becomes the anthem of the Rebellion, corresponds to the
“Socialist International”.
Boxer and Clover
The Proletariat. Both of them strongly believe in the
Rebellion and in the pigs, to whom they are loyal to the
last. They are not educated and are willing to accept
everything, even the worst sacrifices, in the name of the
common welfare of all the animals. The pigs betrayal of
them is particularly cruel.
Benjamin
Cynicism, pessimism, scepticism (Orwell himself? The
intellectuals in general?).
Mr Jones
Tsar Nicholas II, who himself is the embodiment of
corrupt capitalism and tyranny.
Moses
Religion / the Orthodox Church.
15 Open ended.
6
7
a
b
The Dogs
The secret police. They are the forces of violence
and fear which the dictatorship uses to maintain its
position of power.
Mr Frederick of Pinchfield
Hitler and Germany.
Mr Pilkington of Foxwood
Winston Churchill and England.
The Sheep
The masses, made up of uneducated and unthinking
individuals who provide unquestioning support for the
leaders of the rebellion / revolution. They are the
means by which Napoleon’s power is consolidated.
Molly, the white mare
Deviationists, people who at first supported the ideals
of the Revolution then betrayed them.
b
Frederick’s surprise attack
Hitler’s surprise invasion of Russia. The Germans were
defeated at the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-3), as
Frederick is defeated by the combined efforts of all
the animals. The price of victory is very high (the
destruction of the windmill).
The progressive alteration of
the Seven Commandments
The systematic betrayal of the principles of
Socialism and the Revolution, at the expense of
the Russian people.
4 The main characteristic of the beast fable is that it is easy to understand, ensuring that the
audience would immediately see the underlying allegory. Animal Farm can be read on
various levels; it can be read as a tale about a group of badly treated and exploited
animals who unsuccessfully try to improve their situation or as an allegory of the Russian
Revolution and its degeneration into dictatorship. This novel, however lacks the happy
ending typical of the genre. The outcome is disturbing rather than comforting, it poses
questions rather than answering them. Orwell’s subtitle may be seen as an ironic comment
on the situation in Russia. Orwell’s decision to disguise his novel, however loosely, may have
been influenced by the difficulties involved in criticizing the Soviet regime in a period when
internal propaganda and left-wing intellectuals in Europe presented it in a positive way.
Event
Stands for ...
The Rebellion
The revolt of the Russian people against the Tsar in
October 1917. Jones is driven out of the farm as
the Tsar and his family were driven out of the
Royal palace.
The drawing up of Animalism
and the Seven Commandments
The reduction of Marx’s complex philosophy
(= Old Major’s ideas) into simple rules. The
Bolsheviks in Russia tried to educate the Russian
peasants, teaching them the principles of
Communism to increase their political awareness.
The disagreement between
Napoleon and Snowball over
the building of the windmill
Stalin and Trotsky’s different ideas on the issue of
industrialization. Trotsky believed that Russian
industrial production methods should be
modernized quickly to improve the overall
economy of the country, whereas Stalin supported
the ‘collectivization’ of farms, leading to the
complete state control of agriculture.
The Battle of the Cowshed
The Counter-Revolution/The Russian Civil War (1917-21)
6 Open ended.
The trials
The Great Terror/The Purges and ‘Show Trials’ (1936-38)
Napoleon’s secret pact
with Frederick over the
sale of timber
Stalin’s secret negotiations with Hitler’s Germany,
while officially negotiating with Churchill’s England,
which led to the Non-Aggression Pact between
Stalin and Hitler (1938).
7 After the Spanish Civil War, Orwell became disillusioned with what may be described as
utopian ideals. His efforts as a writer were directed towards showing how Utopia can easily
be turned into Dystopia. He suggests that no revolution can ever be successful, as it merely
substitutes old tyrants for new ones.
8
5 Suggested answers:
humour: when the tone of the narrative introduces an element of comedy: for example
in Passage II: Rules (lines 16-17), or Passage IV: Comrade Napoleon – the pompous and
ridiculous titles invented for Napoleon, the comments of the animals (lines 19-25) and the
poem written by Minimus.
irony: situations where the reader has greater understanding of events than the characters
involved in the story. For example Passage III: Changes (lines 23-5).
dramatic irony: whenever something seems to be in a certain way but the readers know
it is not so because they have had a privileged view of the situation. For example, Passage
V: Time Passes (lines 19-27) and Passage VI: Other Changes (lines 17-32), where the
animals are terrified by the sight of the pigs walking on their hind legs, a scene which for
the reader is ridiculous.
8
Orwell wanted to warn his readers against the risk of being deluded by false promises.
Animal Farm was ‘intended as a satire on dictatorship in general’, as Orwell himself
wrote. He defends the positive values of liberty and justice, which he considered typical
of democratic socialism against the risks of totalitarianism in all its disguises.
9
N INETEEN E IGHTY-FOUR
c
I: Airstrip One
the character
age
thirty nine years old (line 14)
physical appearance
has a varicose ulcer on his right leg (lines 14-15), is rather small,
thin and frail, fair hair, red face, rough skin (lines 26-30)
actions
climbs the stairs to the seventh floor where his flat is, “resting
several times on the way” (line 15); once inside his flat he turns
down the volume of the telescreen (lines 23-4), then he looks
out of the window keeping his back to the telescreen
(lines 45 & 59)
thoughts
focuses his attention briefly on the four huge Ministry buildings
which dominate the city, then he tries unsuccessfully to
remember if London had looked different when he was a child;
he wonders if the buildings had always been in such bad
condition (lines 60-75)
1 b the setting
most noticeable features
atmosphere
Inside
Outside
poor and unpleasantsmelling; the setting is
dominated by a poster of
a huge face which
appears to be the only
coloured object in sight
(line 7); the same poster
is on every landing
windy, dusty and cold;
houses in bad repair,
bombed buildings not
rebuilt (lines 66-75); the
exceptions are four
enormous “glittering”
buildings which house the
“Ministries” (lines 76-96);
the poster of Big Brother is
everywhere
the overall impression is
that of lack of comfort,
oppression and a vague
sense of threat (line 6,
lines 10-19); a place
where there is no
personal freedom or
privacy (“telescreen” lines
45-58)
10
bleak, sad and cold; the
impression is of
impending danger and
terror, as if a superior
power were in control
(lines 31-44; lines 5975); the Ministry of Love
is described as being
particularly frightening;
the building has no
windows (lines 97-103)
2 The novel is set in April, but in this world the clocks are striking thirteen, in Britain, it would
be very unusual to find a clock striking thirteen. This detail tells the reader that we are in
the world of ‘science fiction’.
3 a
Victory Mansions/
Winston’s flat
The street/
London
shape
oblong metal
plaque (line 22)
rotting nineteenthcentury houses
(line 66), crazy
garden walls
(lines 68-9)
size
at least seven
floors high
(lines 13-14)
London is the
chief city of
Airstrip One, ie.
Britain (line 63)
11
The poster
The Ministries
enormous
pyramidal
structure
(lines 77-8)
too large for
indoor display,
more than a
metre wide
(line 7),
enormous
(twice, lines
8 &16)
towered vast
(line 61),
enormous
(line 77), three
hundred metres
high (line 79),
three thousand
rooms above
ground and
probably the
same below
(lines 85-6)
a
colour
smell
like a dulled mirror
(line 22)
bright cold day
(line 1), harsh
blue sky, but
there seemed
to be no colour
in anything
(line 34), grimy
landscape
(line 62)
coloured (line 7),
heavy black
moustache (line 9),
black moustachio’d
face (line 35),
dark eyes (line 38)
white
(lines 61 & 80),
glittering
white concrete
(line 78)
II: Winston’s Job
9 Winston has to ‘re-write’ four news items, to make it appear that Big Brother never makes
mistakes and that his predictions are always correct.
10 Their function is to destroy original documents so that there is no proof that Big Brother has
made a mistake or that an “unperson” has ever existed etc..
11 a
boiled cabbage
and old rag mats
(line 6)
1st message
sound
fruity voice coming
from the telescreen
(line 20), vile wind
(line 3)
Where and
when the item
was originally
issued
What the
original
news item
was about
How it is
changed
Why and to
what purpose
it is altered
The Times,
17th March
1984
Big Brother
had predicted
that there
would be no
danger of
attack on the
South Indian
front; the
Eurasian army
would attack
North Africa
contrary to Big
Brother’s
predictions the
Eurasian army
attacked South
India and not
North Africa
to remove
evidence of
Big Brother’s
error in foreign
policy
the figures are
altered to
make them
agree with
the later ones
to correct the
Party’s mistake
about the
production of
goods
b The adjectives are mainly emotive. Students should notice the contrast between the
lack of colour of the landscape vs the poster, the bleakness of the buildings and the
city vs the elegance of the Ministries.
4 The telescreens inside (lines 20-6), the helicopters outside (lines 39-44)) and above all the
mysterious and frightening Thought Police (line 44) are the methods which the authorities
use to keep the people under constant surveillance. The language conveys a sense of
oppression and impending danger (lines 24-6; lines 40-4; lines 47-58; lines 97-103).
5 Open ended.
6 Open ended. Students should be encouraged to notice that the slogans are printed in
isolation on the page and in capital letters to attract the reader’s attention and to convey
the sense of the protagonist being somehow ‘crushed’ by them. The other element that is
highlighted in this way is the caption underneath the poster – BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING
YOU!
2nd message The Times, 19th the article made
December 1983 predictions about
the quantity of
consumption
goods produced
3rd message
The Times, 14th
February 1984
in the article
there was a
“categorical
pledge” that
there would be
no reduction
of the chocolate
ration
Winston changes
the article into
a warning that
the chocolate
ration would be
probably be
reduced from 30
to 20 grammes
to correct the
Party’s mistake
in economic
policy
4th message
The Times, 3rd
December 1983
praising FFCC
and Comrade
Withers, one
of its members
there must be no
mention of FFCC
and its members,
now unpersons
to eliminate
any proof that
these people
had ever existed
7 Through constant surveillance of the population and a reign of fear. Notice the contrast
between the word ‘Love’ and the words referring to violence, fear and weapons in the
description of what happens in the Ministry of Love.
8 The average standard of living seems very low (the city needs rebuilding, the landscape
is “grimy”, the lift at Victory Mansions almost never works, the electricity is cut off during the
day, Winston is thin and not well-dressed etc.). Technology is used to control people, not
to help improve the standard of living.
12
13
b
Dictionary meaning
Newspeak meaning
III: Newspeak
18 b
name
Syme
physical appearance
very small, even smaller and thinner than Winston,
dark-haired with large, penetrating eyes (lines 14-17).
His description highlights his physical frailty and his
intelligence
job
he is a philologist, ie. a linguist, now working on the
latest edition of the Newspeak Dictionary
12 The reduction of the chocolate ration will affect people’s lives the most. Winston considers
the fourth message the most difficult because it has ‘political’ implications.
attitude towards his job
he loves it (line 21; lines 33-6)
13 Open ended (all choices are possible).
relationship with Winston
Winston thinks of him as a friend but immediately
qualifies that (see lines 8-11)
Winston’s opinion of him
He thinks that Syme is clever, but perhaps too clever
to survive in Oceania (lines 99-102). He understands too
much and speaks too clearly.
to rectify
to verify
to correct something that is
wrong or not precise
to re-write or ‘correct’ data
according to the Party’s present
needs
to check if a fact is true or correct
to change figures and data in
order to make them agree with
the Party’s present declarations
14 Comrade Withers has disappeared. It is not clear what has happened to him and
Winston is not sure why he has disappeared, although he does provide some
suggestions (lines 158-63).
15 Winston’s parents had “disappeared” (lines 142-4).
16 •
This phrase tells the reader that Winston is not the perfect party member, it hints that
he may well be conscious that what he does (ie. ‘destroying’ the past) is morally wrong.
See also Passage I: Airstrip One (lines 55-8).
19 Lines 29-32; lines 37-51; lines 61-3; lines 67-82.
•
The past is altered to make it ‘agree’ with the present. In this way the Party can control
the past and the present, as they have removed any possibility of maintaining objective
reality.
20 Open ended. Students should be encouraged to think about the concept contained in this
passage, ie. that language is vital for the formation of abstract thought and that concepts and
ideas disappear without the words to express them (lines 96-8). Language is a powerful
means of social and political control (this is one of the major themes of Animal Farm).
•
No certainty of anything can exist in a world where facts are altered every minute and
lies become truths and vice versa.
21 Open ended. Students should think carefully about how people in Oceania are forced to
believe contradictory things. Objective reality does not exist.
•
If forgery is carried out by single individuals the Party can at any moment deny it knows
what is going on. Nothing can ever be proved. Handing the work over to a committee
would make the act of falsification official.
22 a No, he doesn’t (lines 53-5; lines 64-5; lines 84-7).
Winston seems to enjoy his job – he has a rather ambiguous attitude towards his duties:
on the one hand he is disgusted by it, as it makes him an accomplice of the Party (lines
1-2; lines 97-104), on the other he is proud that ‘difficult’ and delicate tasks are entrusted
to him (lines 28-31; lines 145-57).
17 Open ended.
b It allows for the possibility that one day Winston may also disappear. His attitude
towards the Party is far more critical than Syme’s. Although strangely Winston does not
seem to see this possibility.
23
Open ended.
IV: Julia
24 Refer to lines 4-5.
VI: Vaporization
25 Syme has disappeared; he has become an “unperson”.
26 Because they show that they have realized something strange has happened, whereas they
should pretend everything is normal. Syme has never existed, he is an unperson, so he can’t
have disappeared.
14
15
VII: “They can’t get inside you”
IX: The Horror! The Horror!
27 Refer to lines 1-4 and lines 14-16.
30 b
28 Winston seems to have become more aware of the danger he is facing. He is aware one
day he might be captured, but he still believes that Party cannot destroy him completely,
his “inner heart” would remain intact. Although he is more aware of the Party’s “nefarious
aims” he believes that they cannot discover what his inner thoughts are. The reader at this
stage may be aware that Winston is deluding himself.
1st phase
2nd phase
Differences
who the torturers are
five or six men in
black uniforms
(lines 8-9);
ruffians (line 40)
Party intellectuals,
little round men
with …
(lines 40-2)
the first group is
simply violent, the
second more
specialized in
psychological
torture
how they torture Winston
they inflict
physical pain on
him (lines 5-7;
lines 9-15)
the keep him in
slight physical pain
but their main aim
is to humiliate
him, to make him
feel weak and
defenceless by
questioning him
for hours on end
(lines 44-54)
the first group of
torturers inflict
physical pain, the
next group
concentrate on
psychological
torture
what their aims are
to frighten him,
break his
resistance (lines
18-21)
“to destroy his
power of arguing
and reasoning”
(lines 48-9) and to
make him lose his
human dignity
(lines 59-63)
in the 1st phase
they inflict pain so
that Winston
becomes terrified
even of the threat
of violence (line
20), in the 2nd
phase they want
to destroy his selfesteem
what the effects on him
and his reactions are
he is physically
crushed
(lines 27-9)
he confesses
imaginary crimes,
he says everything
he thinks his
torturers want him
to say (lines 62-78)
Winston’s defences
have been
destroyed
completely
VIII: Big Brother and Doublethink
29 b
True
or False?
Where
in the text?
Big Brother is not real: he is simply a
general point of reference, a cult figure
whose only function is to embody Ingsoc
probably true
lines 5-11
the Outer Party is made up of a very
restricted group of people, an elite who
make decisions and govern Oceania
false
lines 13-15
the equatorial populations are considered
sub-human, inferior even to the proles
true
lines 18-20
Oceanic society is strictly hierarchical,
not a socialist state based on collective
ownership as the Party claims it is
true
lines 11-20
doublethink is the most powerful means
of reality control
true
lines 28-35;
lines 39-42
doublethink implies total belief in the
goodness of the system
false
lines 28-30
probably true
lines 22-5
the Party intellectual is ultimately aware
that objective reality does exist
31 He seems to have forgotten completely his previous idea that the Party could not reach
your “inner heart”. Lines 76-8 seem to suggest that they are getting inside him.
16
17
Building up Relationships
X: O’Brien
32 Refer to lines 1-26. In the Middle Ages the religious persecutions created martyrs, however
the totalitarian systems of the twentieth century learned that martyrs are very dangerous,
as they create more political opponents. The Party realized that the ideas of their
‘opponents’ are more dangerous than the individuals themselves. This is why the Party aims
to change its opponents’ minds and ideas by turning them into enthusiastic followers of the
Party. In this way there will be no martyrs and no ‘unorthodox’ ideas (lines 41-68).
1
Style and Structure
Animal Farm
Nineteen Eighty-Four
the story is
told by a thirdperson narrator
yes; the point of view is
external and it coincides with
the narrator’s point of view
yes; the point of view is
internal and it coincides
with Winston’s point of view
the events are
presented in
chronological
order
yes; the period of time covered
by the narration is several years;
the narrator provides
‘summaries’ of long spans of
time, while some short periods
are narrated in detail
yes; the narration covers a
period of one year
the language is
concrete, the prose
style is plain, clear
and simple, to
convey the
author’s message
as directly as
possible
yes; ‘Good prose is like a
window pane’
yes; language and style are
here used to clarify, to
present an unambiguous
message
the ending is closed,
there is little hope
for improvement
at the end of the
novel
yes; no further development
seems possible; the pigs’ final
transformation appears to be
definitive
yes; Winston no longer has
the possibility to rebel, his
mind has been destroyed
irreparably; the Party has
won the battle
the novel can be
considered
anti-utopian
yes; it is the story of a
revolution gone wrong
yes; the “last man alive” is
spiritually dead at the end of
the book
XI: The End
33 •
Winston now loves Big Brother (lines 19-21; line 42).
•
He no longer has rebellious thoughts.
•
He can no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy, truth and lies; he accepts
whatever the Party wants him to believe (lines 21-6; lines 31-6).
The Novel as a Whole
The activities in this section are all open ended. Their aim is to trigger off class discussion. Students
should be encouraged to express individual opinions freely, provided they support their ideas
with relevant and appropriate quotations from the text. Key ideas can be written on the
blackboard and discussed with the whole class.
18
19
2
Animal Farm
Nineteen Eighty-Four
totalitarian systems
are founded on lies
and self-interest
yes; refer to the progressive
alteration of the Seven
Commandments and to
Squealer’s twisting of
reality
yes Big Brother is himself is
a big lie; he does not exist
in the normal sense of the
word; it is impossible to
discover what is true and
what is false
true democracy is
impossible without
the freedom to think
and to love
yes; democracy ends when
the personality cult which
is built up around
Napoleon, as well as the
threat of violence from the
dogs turns him into an
absolute leader, who is
above all criticism
close relationships of any
kind are forbidden – for
example children spy on
their parents and denounce
them; in this way the Party
controls people’s private
lives and feelings
Themes
The Boarding House
1 b
tyranny is maintained
through propaganda, ie.
constant manipulation
of the truth
tyrants base their power
on fear and deception
yes; squealer’s ‘turns black
into white’ and invents lies
to cover up the pigs’ tricks
yes; the Purges are an
instrument of power – the
animals are terrified into
submission
20
Characters
Job
Mr Mooney
he used to be a
lines 3-6;
foreman, then he line 16
became a butcher,
but ran into debt,
now he works
occasionally for
a bailiff
disreputable
lines 6-10;
man, very violent; lines 14-16;
he drinks too
lines 45-8
much; Mrs Mooney
does not want
him to have any
contact with
their daughter
Mrs Mooney
she used to run a
butcher’s shop,
now she runs a
boarding house
lines 3-5;
lines 17-19
a determined
line 3;
woman,
lines 10-12;
strong-willed, a big line 19
imposing woman
Jack Mooney
clerk to a
commission agent
lines 29-30
reputation of being lines 29-34;
a hard case,
lines 30-4
swears, tells funny
stories, likes
women and
betting on horses,
rather violent and
vulgar
Polly Mooney
she used to work
as a typist; now
she helps her
mother at the
boarding house
lines 45-50
very lively, likes
to join the young
men’s parties on
Sunday nights at
the boarding
house, sings and
flirts with the
young men
lines 34-52
The residents
tourists from
lines 19-22
Liverpool and the
Isle of Man, musichall artistes as well
as the more
permanent guests
(clerks from the
city)
friendly with one
another, like
talking about
horse-racing, like
parties
lines 26-9;
lines 34-7
objective reality does not
exist and history is
continuously altered; the
Party is in control of
everything as there is no
proof of its lies
Winston’s mind is changed
through psychological
torture and O’Brien’s
brainwashing
Where in
the text?
21
Personality /
Habits
Where in
the text?
2 Polly looks innocent (a little madonna) but in fact flirts openly with young men (her
perverse look). The resulting image in some way implies that she is still innocent enough
not to understand fully the implications of what she is doing. The writer may be placing
the ‘blame’ for what happens on the mother. Her behaviour with men is made quite clear
throughout the story (lines 39-41 ‘naughty girl’, which has the meaning of ‘easy’; lines 4950 ‘very lively’ which has a double meaning and implies sexual freedom).
7
The narrator here suggests the mother-daughter relationship is based upon hypocrisy.
•
Mrs Mooney is ‘embarrassed’ because she is afraid people might gossip about Polly’s
affair, but mainly because she knows that she has in some way encouraged the
relationship by not intervening. At first she does not pay much attention as long as the
love story remains secret, but when people “began to talk of the affair” (line 60) she
can no longer pretend she doesn’t know about it. She takes the matter seriously
because she sees the possibility of finding a husband for her daughter, not because she
is sincerely worried about Polly’s future.
•
Mrs Mooney pretended not to know. It is quite clear that her behaviour has been
calculating (lines 81-3).
•
Because she feels embarrassed when talking about personal matters (Mrs Mooney is
not a gentle or understanding character) (lines 83-6).
•
She has understood her mother’s intentions and feels embarrassed because she does
not want her mother to know that she has understood.
3 Lines 49-50; lines 51-6; lines 58-64.
how Mrs Mooney’s plans for
Polly have changed and why
she wanted Polly to have a job in an office,
but took her away when her father wanted to see
her, she then thought of keeping her at the boarding
house to do the housework
what Mrs Mooney has noticed
and how she has reacted
she has noticed that Polly has become involved
with one of the guests; she shows no reaction
what Mrs Mooney has
decided to do
nothing for the moment, she has decided to wait
and see how the situation develops
how Polly has reacted to her
mother’s strange behaviour
she is aware her mother knows about her relationship
but does not talk to her about it; she does not seem
to understand her mother’s intentions
4 A mother should deal with moral problems in a sympathetic and understanding way. The
particularly violent image of the cleaver suggests lack of sympathy and tact. The narrator’s
moral judgement appears unequivocally negative.
5 a
Time setting
Sunday morning in early summer, the weather is pleasant, it
is “seventeen minutes past eleven” (lines 65-6 ; lines 89-91)
Place setting
The story takes place in Dublin, not far from St George’s
Church (Protestant), off Marlborough Street; the scene is set in
the dining room at the boarding house
b The few details mentioned are enough to give a clear picture of the scene. The
boarding house is a cheap place where left-over pieces of bread are saved to make
Tuesday’s bread pudding, implying lack of hygiene and meanness. The disorder of the
room, with the tables still covered with dirty plates, may be an objective correlative of
the ‘disordered, messy situation’ existing between Polly and her lover, which Mrs Mooney
feels she must ‘tidy up’ and settle as soon as possible (through marriage). The characters
are lower middle-class, or possibly working class, with bourgeois pretensions.
8
Mr Doran
Your notes
age
34 or 35
line 95
job
clerk in a well-known
Catholic wine merchant’s
office
lines 112-13
Mrs Mooney’s opinion of him
she thinks he should
‘pay’ for what he has
done, he is not innocent
or particularly young;
Mrs Mooney feels he
should take full
responsibility for his
actions; her real motives
however may be more
mercenary – he is
respectable, has a good,
secure job and has saved
some money
lines 96-8;
lines 108-10
9 Refer to lines 91-5; lines 104-5; lines 106-10; lines 114-16; lines 118-20. He is a serious
young man, and any negative publicity might mean the loss of his good job and
respectable social position, a thing that Mrs Mooney does not think he would risk. Notice
that Mr Doran’s employer is Catholic (line 113).
6 The first sentence seems to give the best description of the situation.
22
Where in the text?
23
15
10 b
What happened
the night before?
he had confessed his ‘sin’ to a priest who had
not been sympathetic, in fact the priest had
“magnified his sin” (lines 125-9)
What is Mr Doran doing
at the moment?
he is in his room, sitting on the bed (line 151),
earlier he had tried to shave twice, but
his hands were shaking so much that it was
impossible (lines 121-3), he wiped his glasses
which had steamed up because he was so
“anxious” (line 125), he is thinking about his
present predicament
What worries him most?
What does Polly’s visit
remind him of?
in his public life: focus on lines 130-6
in his private life: focus on lines 178-80
he has broken the rules of the community,
people would talk of the affair and he could
well lose his job; on the other hand his instinct
tells him to avoid marriage, but he has a strong
sense of having committed a grave sin
(lines 178-80); he also thinks his family will
despise Polly and consider her vulgar
(lines 145-6), he is conscious she comes of a
family socially inferior to his own (line 142)
where she is now
she is in Mr Doran’s room, lying on the bed
what she is doing
she stops crying and looks at herself in the mirror, refreshing
her eyes and tidying her hair (lines 204-8)
what she is feeling
the sight of the pillows on the bed remind her of happy
moments in her relationship with Mr Doran; she appears to
be hopeful about the future, and appears unaware of the
reality of her situation; she becomes so lost in her dreams that
she forgets what she is waiting for (lines 208-17)
•
Earlier she had appeared very upset, aware of the gravity of the situation. She becomes
much calmer when she is sure that Mr Doran will marry her.
•
Open ended.
16 Open ended.
The Story as a Whole
1 a
Events
distant past
recent past
it reminds Mr Doran of how the affair started;
he is trying to understand where the fault lies,
and remembers that there had been happy
moments in their affair (lines 160-76)
11 Lines 142-50; lines 160-80. It seems to be based on physical attraction.
fictional present
12 Mr Doran’s instincts tell him to avoid marriage and leave Dublin if necessary, but he is
trapped by the strong grip of social conventions and moral taboos. He is paralysed; he is
aware that he is unable to escape, he will have to make reparation for his ‘sin’.
“Instinctive lust - the normal sexual urge - cannot be satisfied outside marriage, and
married life is doomed to failure. […] Joyce denounces neither sex nor women but
the institution of marriage, which is equated with a mere money bargain.”1
1
RAFROIDI, Patrick, James Joyce: Dubliners, Longman, 1985.
24
lines 1-14; lines 45-8
lines 135-9; lines 160-73;
lines 197-203
Polly’s confession to her mother,
their interview, Mrs Mooney’s
convincing Mr Doran to marry
Polly
Mr Doran’s interview with the
priest
lines 57-64; lines 77-86
Mrs Mooney’s ‘counting all her
cards’
Mr Doran’s present predicament
Polly’s visit to Mr Doran’s room
Mr Doran going downstairs to talk
to Mrs Mooney
lines 87-120
lines 121-5; lines 135-50
lines 151-9; lines 181-5
lines 186-203
lines 204-23
lines 125-29
Polly waiting for the final
outcome
13 Mr Doran will probably decide to marry Polly; this can be inferred from line 222.
14 He feels social pressures very strongly, making his decision inevitable; he sees the faces of
the Madam and his employer, and feels threatened by Jack, Polly’s brother.
presentation of the Mooney’s
(background information)
Mr Doran’s flashback
Where in the text?
b
lines 1-24; lines 45-56 (narrator’s excursus/digression), lines 125-41; lines 160-73
(characters’ thoughts).
c
• introduction : background information about the Mooney family; Mrs Mooney’s
present attitude towards her daughter’s affair with one of the guests, Mr Doran
25
• climax : Mr Doran’s predicament, resulting in the epiphany and in the silent
acceptance of the condition of moral/spiritual paralysis (lines 177-80)
3
Narrative perspective
Where in the text?
• conclusion : Mr Doran and Polly will be married
examples of verbal irony
lines 49-50; lines 97-9; lines 119-20; line 136
It is a closed-ended story as the readers may predict what will happen in the future.
Both Polly and Mr Doran seem to feel that they might be happy together, but the overall
impression is that the characters are forced into this marriage by social and family
pressures.
examples of situational irony
Mrs Mooney’ attitude towards Polly’s
relationship with Mr Doran; the mother seems
simply to be waiting for the two young people
to enter her trap (lines 51-64)
examples of dramatic irony
Mr Doran tries to convince himself that it is the
correct decision he is making, the reader
however sees that he can do nothing to
escape; his desperation becomes almost
comic, as he walks down the stairs, seeing the
faces of the Madam and his boss, and meets
Jack with his “bulldog face”;
another example is the mother- daughter
interview; both of them play a part (the offended
mother, the innocent girl) and the readers are
well aware of the hypocrisy of the situation
examples of satire
the institution of marriage, as Mrs Mooney sees it
as a way of getting rid of her daughter and Mr
Doran sees it as a sort of duty all men must fulfil
after a certain age.
the institution of the church, the priest who hears
Mr Doran’s confession is unsympathetic and
hypocritical (lines 11-12; lines 126-9)
d
Point of view
Where in the text?
omniscient narrator
lines 1-86; lines 204-23
Mrs Mooney
lines 87-120
Mr Doran
lines 121-203
e
Where in the text?
narrator’s comments and opinions
lines 42-5; lines 1-3;
lines 14-17; lines 29-34
character’s personality /
cultural background
lines 49-50; lines 58-60; lines 63-4;
lines 102-4; lines 118-20; lines 135-41;
lines 148-50; lines 178-80 ; lines 187-91
• Mrs Mooney and Mr Doran are developed through interior monologue, the reader
is given privileged access to the thoughts of these two characters. The reader sees
Polly only from her actions and words, adding to the impression of superficiality in
this character.
• prevailing narrative modes : the first two suggested answers.
•
The first suggested answer gives the best description.
4 Open ended.
2 Open ended (all suggestions are acceptable).
26
27
Clay
colleagues’
opinion of her
1 b the character
Where in the text?
name
Maria
age
no longer young, possibly
approaching fifty
physical appearance
“Maria was a very, very small
person indeed” (line 9); “tiny
dress-boots” (line 68);
“diminutive body” (line 71);
with “a very long nose and a
very long chin” (lines 9-10);
“She talked a little through
her nose” (line 10); “greygreen eyes (line 55); when
she laughed “the tip of her
nose nearly met the tip of
her chin” (detail repeated line
55; lines 59-60; lines 165-6)
place of work/job
family situation/
social status
religious beliefs
Dublin by Lamplight laundry;
she seems to be in charge of
the workers’ meals
Personal inference?
we can infer this detail
from lines 68-72
c
the physical settings
Places
we can infer Maria has a
position implying a certain
amount of responsibility
(lines 50-1)
unmarried; she has a close
relationship with Joe Donnelly
and his family (see lines 33-5);
she nursed Joe and Alphy as
children, but it is unclear
whether or not she is a member
of the family, the way she
speaks to Joe would suggest
that she is at least on equal
terms with them (lines 149-51)
she lives in the place where
she works, although Joe
had asked her to live with
him and his family (lines
30-4; lines 63-6)
practising Catholic, but she lives
and works with Protestants
lines 36-7; lines 64-6
28
“She was always sent for when
the women quarrelled […] and
always succeeded in making
peace” (lines 11-17); she is
generally well-thought of:
“Every one was so fond of
Maria” (line 18); Joyce’s
description however seems to
imply that the relationship
between Maria and her
‘colleagues’ is not a close one
Reasons for being there
People she meets
the laundry
Maria has to surpervize the
women’s tea
her bedroom
she changes from her working
clothes and puts on her best skirt
and also changes her blouse
(lines 66-8)
the 1st tram
she goes to the Pillar (city centre)
to buy something to take to Joe’s
the tram is full and Maria has to
sit facing all the other
passengers (lines 74-6)
Downes’s cake
shop / a cake shop
in Henry Street
she wants to buy cakes as a
present to take to the Donnelly’s
house
the shop assistant a “stylish
young lady” (lines 92-3), who is
annoyed by Maria; Maria
merely blushes when the
shop assistant is rude to her
(lines 94-5)
the 2nd tram
she is going to Drumcondra
where Joe’s house is
a “colonel-looking gentleman”
who makes room for Maria to
sit down (lines 98-110)
Joe’s house
Halloween party/the Eve of All
Saints’ Day
Joe Donnelly, his wife and
children and “two big girls in
from next door” (lines 113-16)
29
the matron (line 1);the cook
(line 44); Lizzie Fleming (line
52); Ginger Mooney (line 56)
and the other women who
work in the laundry
2
Your Notes
pagan celebration
religious celebration
Where in the text?
tea at the laundry, Lizzie
Fleming makes a joke at Maria’s
expense; the games that the
children are playing when Maria
arrives at the Donnelly’s, note the
superstitious meaning attached
to the objects in the game
lines 156-63
Sunday morning mass;
party at Joe’s to celebrate the
eve of All Saints’ Day, an
important Catholic holy day
lines 65-6
6 •
The period of time covered by the story is from shortly before six p.m. to about nine
p.m. (lines 19-22 + the party scene), making a total of approximately three hours;
•
the present Joe gives her (lines 23-6), it underlines her links with the Protestants, it is
introduced through conscious association of ideas;
•
how Maria started to work for a Protestant institution (lines 35-8), conscious association
of ideas;
•
she remembers past happiness, and contrasts it with a difficult present life (lines 79-82),
conscious association of ideas.
7 “spick and span” (line 3);
“And Ginger Mooney […] it wasn’t for Maria.” (lines 16-18);
“Lizzie Fleming […] common woman.” (lines 52-62);
“she thought […] a drop taken.” (lines 111-12);
“... that he was […] the wrong way.” (lines 138-9);
3 The text is intentionally ambiguous as far as this aspect is concerned. It should be made
clear to students that there is no ‘right answer’, it is a question of interpretation. However
students should be asked to back up their answers with examples from the text.
Maria as a witch
Maria as a saint
the story is set at Halloween; the narrator emphasizes her witchlike characteristics (lines 9-10; line 56; lines 59-60); she is pleased
with the way she looks (lines 70-2); she lives among sinners
(Protestants, former prostitutes)
line 14 (“Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called
the children of God”); asexuality (lines 52-4; lines 94-6); she is a
‘virgin mother’ (line 34); she lives among the sinners to redeem
them (lines 14-18; lines 148-9)
4 Open ended.
5
what she misinterprets
she thinks that the shop assistant has made a joke and
does not appear to understand the cruelty of the girl’s
comment (line 94) she mistakes condescension for
kindness (the old man in the tram)
what she fails to understand
her mistake (she repeats the first verse of the song,
missing out the second verse); people’s embarrassment
when she touches the clay (which signifies death)
what she fails to do
to act as a peace-maker between the two people she
loves most, Alphy and Joe (lines 148-51)
30
The characters are from the lower classes. Most of the story is seen from Maria’s point of view.
The narrator’s presence is felt in the scenes that are reported from the ‘outside’ as a fixed
external point of view, but the language he uses is that of his characters. The style is
consistent throughout the story.
8 Open-ended.
It may be useful to reflect upon this extract from Patrick Rafroidi, p. 47.
“Clay [...] is, in the section [of Dubliners] devoted to ‘mature life’, the first study in sterility, [...] the
sterility of humility and celibacy. Maria is in love with herself (see the mirror scene) and her state of
innocence; she refuses to see the world as it is [...] and ignores her vital impulses, particularly sexual,
her refusal and willing ignorance being conveyed through the simple-mindedness of the vision and
the style (which are Maria’s throughout the story) and through her laughter, blushings and omissions.”
9 In his private life Joe understands his failure as a brother (“there was no time like the long
ago”) when the family was united and happy. This may be linked to Maria’s remark on
lines 25-6 and lines 79-82); he also realizes that Maria is mortal (brought home to him
when she touches the clay) and may see her life clearly for what it is (the contrast between
the content of the song and Maria’s life).
In his public life, he neither likes nor respects the manager under whom he works (lines
134-9). He seems to have many links with the Protestants (line 25; lines 35-6), this could
be considered as disloyalty to his country (however he is nostalgic about the composer Balfe
(lines 200-2).
10 Maria is the typical Dubliner, content with what she is and has. She refuses to acknowledge
the shabbiness of the world she lives in. She is spiritually dead, she is unable to awaken
even on Halloween, when the dead are said to rise from their graves.
11 Students should be encouraged to use their knowledge of the story and their imagination.
One suggestion is that clay stands for ‘death’, and it symbolizes the spiritual and emotional
death of people like Maria that inhabit the paralysed world of Dublin.
31
The Story as a Whole
2
The Seven Deadly Sins
The Boarding House
Clay
All these activities are open-ended; their aim is to trigger off meaningful class discussion. The
results of the discussions can be written down as homework.
Pride
Mrs Mooney’s certainty of her
‘victory’ implies excessive
self-confidence
Building up Relationships
Covetousness
Mrs Mooney is greedy for profit
and for Mr Doran’s money
(lines 115-16)
Lust
the relationship between Mr
Doran and Polly, which is mainly
sexual;
Mr Doran’s past excesses
(line 136);
the artistes’ dubious morality
the past life of Maria’s
‘colleagues’ at work
(they are former prostitutes)
Gluttony
The Mooney men (both the
father and the son) drink too
much
Maria’s apparent obsession
with food; Joe gets drunk
at the party and Maria is
worried about how much
he drinks
Anger
Mr Mooney (father)’s attitude
towards his wife; Jack Mooney’s
violent character
Joe’s anger towards his
brother Alphy, which implies
broken family ties and
corrupt relationships; in
addition he appears
unwilling to forgive him
Sloth
Mr Doran’s refusal/inability to
take action to change his
predicament
at a symbolic level, Maria’s
(unconscious) refusal to sing
the second verse of the song
implies refusal to accept her
condition
1
Realistic/Naturalistic elements
The Boarding House
Clay
the description of the setting is very realistic and naturalistic,
with all its sordid details highlighted, which contribute to
reveal how Mr Doran’s final choice is implicit from the
beginning; he is paralysed by social taboos and cultural
conventions and is unable to escape; Polly’s future as
unhappy wife is already pre-figured by her mother; nobody
can escape his/her destiny as long as they remain trapped
in Dublin
the cultural milieu is powerfully rendered through careful
choice of language; Maria’s apparent naivety is in fact a
stubborn refusal to ‘see’ reality and to accept her condition
consciously; Joe’s final epiphany does not lead to any real
change in his life, so this story too, like ‘The Boarding
House’, has a closed ending
Maria is very proud of her
physical appearance
Envy
•
Students should notice that Joyce highlights the Dubliners’ hypocritical attitude
towards religion.
3 Open ended. All the suggestions are possible.
4 Open ended. Students should be encouraged to pay particular attention to the narrative
style, and to how Joyce stresses details which are apparently ordinary but acquire extrameaning in the context, such as Mrs Mooney’s physical appearance (line 19, which is the
objective correlative of her personality, especially in contrast with her husband’s thinness –
lines 14-17), or Maria‘s repressed and frustrated sexuality (lines 92-6; lines 108-12), which
she refuses/is unable to admit to herself.
5 Open ended.
32
33
M RS D ALLOWAY
3
Facts
I: Clarissa
1 b
2
Topic
Where in the Text?
Peter
lines 1-17; lines 22-32
her husband Richard
lines 17-21
herself
lines 35-48
people and episodes from her youth
lines 48-52
death
lines 53-7
the Great War
lines 68-70
Peter
Marriage
Herself
She thinks that there will
always be a special
relationship between
herself and Peter, even if
they do not meet or write
to each other very often.
She complains that he
does not notice the world
around him – he is more
interested in intellectual
things. She is glad she
decided not to marry him
when he proposed to her,
as now she would be far
less independent, because
Peter demanded total
spiritual involvement.
However she remembers
that when she discovered
he had got married she
had suffered terribly
She thinks partners in a
marriage should maintain
some independence. Her
husband Richard gives her
that independence, (she
does not know what he is
doing at the moment, for
example)
She has mixed feelings
about herself; she feels
old but young at the
same time (line 36),
superficial and ignorant
(lines 41-3) but at the
same time able to
understand people
instinctively (lines 46-8).
She feels detached from
ordinary life but at the
same time part of it, and
this is a strange feeling
that she doesn’t
understand clearly (lines
36-40; lines 57-63)
Where
in the text?
he wears glasses
line 9
his letters are
unemotional,
“dry”
line 2
he once asked
her to marry him
in a little garden
near a fountain
(at Bourton)
he married a
woman he met
on a boat going
to India, where
he now lives
His Attitudes/
Opinions
Where
in the text?
he isn’t very
interested in
what happens
around him
lines 7-9
lines 22-3
he is well
educated and
interested in arts
(music), literature
and analysing
people’s
characters
lines 10-11
line 27; lines 29-30
he called Clarissa
cold and a prude
and seems to
have been critical
of her character
lines 11-12;
lines 28-9
4 “[…] she had borne about her for years like an arrow sticking in her heart the grief, the
anguish;” (lines 24-5). The simile underlines the fact that in spite of the years that have
passed, Clarissa still feels the pain as if the events had happened yesterday. The emotional
pain becomes physical; underlining the strength of feeling. The simile may also imply that
Clarissa is prey to a certain amount of self-pity (the image suggests martyrdom).
5 •
the environment: lines 37-40; lines 57-60;
•
people: lines 35-6; lines 44-8; lines 60-3; lines 68-70;
•
life and death: lines 39-40; lines 53-8; lines 60-3;
•
the past, present and future: line 38; lines 41-3; line 44; lines 48-52; line 53.
6 Open ended. In this context, trees seem to symbolize life and friendship – the intricate web
of relationships that bind people together.
7 Open ended. All suggestions are acceptable.
8 a
34
Mode
Where in the text?
indirect interior monologue
lines 1-32; lines 35-70
external description
lines 33-4
35
b The narrative emphasis is placed upon the character’s interior life, her thoughts and
feelings. The advantages may be that the readers get to know the character more
intimately, as they have access to her mind. The disadvantages may be that the
narration may seem less logically organized and readers may find it difficult to follow
the workings of the character’s mind without the filter provided by the omniscient
narrator in a more traditional narrative.
b
Passers-by
lines 11-13; lines 47-61
II: Septimus
9 a An elegant motor car which has stopped outside the florist’s shop. The person sitting
inside is not visible because there are blinds over the windows. There is a tree pattern
on the blinds.
b
Who?
Septimus Warren Smith
Lucrezia Warren Smith
Clarissa Dalloway
Where in the text?
line 12; lines 14-20
lines 23-5; lines 32-42
lines 10-11; lines 62-6
36
How do they react?
His attention is attracted by the
pattern on the window blinds,
similar to a tree. Then he panics,
violent images come into his
mind, as he thinks the commotion
in the street is his fault, as he is
blocking the way for the car to
move on.
She is curious about the motor
car in spite of herself and
wonders if the passenger might
be the Queen. She wants to go
away quickly because Septimus
has said ‘I will kill myself’, she is
embarrassed, worried that
people would notice her
husband’s strange behaviour.
Everyone’s attention is caught by
the mysterious motor car. Some
people stop to look at it. There is
some discussion as to the identity
of the person inside. The general
reaction is one of veneration for
the “greatness” passing so close to
them.
10 Her attention is almost completely absorbed by her husband. She is worried that people
might notice how strange her husband’s behaviour is, so she wants to cross the road to go
away. She silently cries for help, remembers an episode when they had laughed, only a
few months before and she had been happy that people had noticed them, but realizes
that failure has to be hidden. Suggested answers: desperation, shame, loneliness, self-pity
and nostalgia.
11 The noise of the car engine reminds him of the noise of war. His panic takes him back to
the time he was fighting in the First World War (lines 5-8; lines 13-18).
12
Age
Physical
appearance
Feelings towards
each other
Septimus Warren Smith
about 30
pale, poorly dressed,
with a pointed nose
and hazel brown eyes;
they have a deeply
worried look which
makes people uneasy
he obeys her but
angrily; he appears
annoyed that she is
drawing him from the
world of his
nightmarish images
back into the real
world (lines 29-31)
Lucrezia Warren Smith
24
Italian, small, with
big eyes in a pale
unhealthy face
she left Italy, to follow
Septimus to England;
she is protective
towards him, and
remembers with
nostalgia her past
happiness with him
She is curious and thinks that the
occupant of the car must be the
Queen going to some official
ceremony, she adopts a “look of
extreme dignity” for a second just
in case it is the Queen (the
narrator is taking an ironic look
at Clarissa’s behaviour).
37
13
True
people stop discussing the identity of the
mysterious person as soon as the car moves on
III: Doctor Holmes
17 •
Rezia thinks Dr Holmes is a good doctor, she is willing to follow his advice. She believes
that he has understood Septimus’s problems.
•
Septimus on the contrary thinks Dr Holmes a “damned fool” (line 45), he refuses to see
the doctor when he arrives. In Doctor Holmes, Septimus sees human nature personified.
•
Dr Holmes makes a superficial diagnosis of Septimus’s mental illness, advising Septimus
to take up a hobby. He believes Septimus is simply trying to attract attention to himself
(lines 49-57). He underestimates the seriousness of the situation.
•
Dr Holmes is offended by Rezia’s suggestion that they should consult a specialist,
suggesting that a specialist would be far too expensive for them (lines 102-4). He is
quite convinced that his diagnosis is right.
lines 47-50
ordinary people are always fascinated by
manifestations of power
the narrator
would seem to be
suggesting this
’official’ history ignores the lives of individuals
it is only the
‘great’ who are
remembered by
history, the struggle
of the ordinary
individual passes
unnoticed
common people base their idea of patriotism
on outward signs and symbols
False
the narrator
seems to be
suggesting this
14 The image gives a negative impression on the viewers’ patriotic reactions to the mysterious
person, who is seen as the embodiment of authority. The images of death and decay seem
to suggest that the outward manifestations of power are ultimately meaningless and
empty, as they are bound to be destroyed by time and history. It is the same theme
expressed by Shelley in his sonnet “Ozymandias”. The narrator’s tone is heavily ironic and
emotionally detached.
18 Septimus blames himself for his inability to feel, which worries and at the same time
frightens him (lines 23-32). Septimus’s sanity has been strongly affected by his experiences
in the trenches of the First World War. He blames himself most for not feeling anything when
his friend Evans was killed, and recalls a series of unidentified ‘crimes’. By “communication”
Septimus means his own desperate attempt to communicate his feelings and emotions to
all those who have not shared his experiences. Septimus needs serious psychological
treatment, Dr Holmes’s superficial analysis of the situation is insufficient.
19 Septimus is haunted by memories: the moment of Evan’s death has apparently stopped
the normal flow of Septimus’s subjective time. He is unable to come to terms with his
experiences and relives that devastating moment over and over again. The past haunts
him and prevents him from living an ordinary life.
Clarissa finds in the memories of the past the strength to go beyond present problems. She
has vivid memories of that summer at Bourton which determined her subsequent life.
20
Narrative techniques
Where in the text?
external omniscient description
line 1; line 13; lines 33-5; lines 85-7; lines 106-11;
line 114
free indirect speech (FIS)
lines 2-3 (Rezia); lines 14-22 (Dr Holmes); lines 35-44
(Dr Holmes and Rezia); lines 46-8 (Dr Holmes,
including some interior monologue); lines 49-57 (Dr
Holmes, including some interior monologue); lines
65-6 (Rezia); lines 82-4 (Agnes, the servant girl); lines
88-9 (Rezia); lines 94-7 (Rezia); lines 101-5 (Dr Holmes)
direct speech
line 49 (Dr Holmes); line 81 (Septimus); line 94
(Rezia); line 98 (Septimus); lines 100-1 (Dr Holmes)
interior monologue
lines 3-12 (Septimus); lines 22-32 (Septimus); line 45
(Septimus); lines 58-64 (Septimus); lines 67-80
(Septimus); lines 90-3 (Septimus); lines 111-14 (Rezia)
15 All the suggested answers are acceptable.
16 Open ended. Suggested answers:
the setting: they are seen as isolated characters contrasted with the mass of people around
them all doing the same thing (wondering who is in the car, silently admiring the mysterious
occupant of the car). Septimus and Rezia do not share anything with the rest of the people
on the street. They are like two aliens, lost in the crowd.
the style: their individual thoughts are reported and the readers can understand how
frightened they are, even though for very different reasons. Some key words convey
Septimus’s terror: burst into flames (twice), terrified, wavered, quivered, threatened and
Rezia’s desperation: help! (three times).
38
39
It may be interesting to read the following critical interpretation [of lines 49-57], from
John Mepham, Virginia Woolf: Mrs Dalloway, p. 34.
“The first phrase is directly quoted, but thereafter Dr Holmes’s speech is given in free indirect
speech. This allows the narrator to capture Holmes’s style of speaking and thinking and hence to
make fun of it. For example, in this passage his smug self-confidence, very limited intelligence
and absurd patriotism are all mimicked and made fun of. This has all been achieved very
efficiently, because the narrator has not had to give a full reproduction of the conversation; we
have an edited version which highlights the important points in the character’s speech and retains
his verbal idiom.”
26 a
Sir William: vocabulary used
to define him, his view of medicine
and his actions as a doctor
• lines 68-74 (ironic treatment of the selfmade man who despises the poor and
unfortunate)
• lines 114-23 (the doctor does not cure his
patients, he simply imposes his own will
on them, he subdues and dominates
them, crushing their will)
• lines 158-69 (the narrator’s tone here is
highly ironic; Bradshaw has convinced
himself that his motives are respectable,
as he is protecting society from
‘dangerous’ misfits; the language here is
very ‘violent’, as it expresses the doctor’s
pleasure in controlling other people’s
lives)
21 The reader is given the clear impression that Dr Holmes is arrogant, vain, unsympathetic
and superficial. The narrator’s ironic tone (achieved through a careful choice of language
and narrative style) clearly influences the readers’ opinion of the character.
22 •
hearing and sight;
•
“leaden” suggests a sense of heaviness, whereas the words “thin”, “ethereal” and
“wisps”, which are associated with the idea of the dissolving circles, suggest an opposite
sense of delicacy and dissipation. Notice the sound of the words: wisps is an
onomatopoeic word;
•
“stroke” has negative connotations, as it conveys the idea of something heavy and
imposing, “wafted” on the contrary suggests something light, able to fly in the air above
the city. The contrast highlights the ambiguity and alternation that characterizes the world
of the characters.
• lines 128-40 (how the doctor considers
his patients; the language here
expresses the doctor’s disgust of his
patients)
the patients: vocabulary used
to define their reactions and
position in relation to the doctor
• lines 141-58 (all resistance and
opposition to Dr Bradshaw is useless
the doctor controls the lives of his
patients; the language conveys
impressions of sorrow, submission and
impotence)
IV: Sir William Bradshaw
23 At first Sir William Bradshaw seems more competent than Dr Holmes. The readers feel that
perhaps Septimus is going to be treated properly, as the doctor realizes the seriousness of
Septimus’s problem.
24 The narrator influences the readers’ opinion of Sir William through the choice of the narrative
style, which changes from the beginning of the passage. FIS is used extensively to cast an
ironic light on the sharp contrast between the doctor’s words and his thoughts. The reader
is aware that he despises Septimus (and, by inference, his patients in general). In the end,
he turns out to be no better than Dr Holmes.
b Open ended.
25 Line 37: Rezia interrupts Septimus and Sir William takes Rezia to speak privately to her in
another room. Septimus observes that the upkeep of the grey car must cost a lot of
money. He has understood that the doctor needs a lot of money to keep up his standard
of living, implying that he has the money and not the interests of his patients at heart. The
car is a symbol of power and wealth, an outward manifestation of success. All this is
meaningless to Septimus.
40
41
V: The Plunge
27
Topic
how Rezia feels about the
present situation
her memories of the past
(flashback)
how Septimus sees her
what they decide to do
and why
29 a
Your notes
bird (line 26; line 29)
Where in the text?
She feels comfortable with
him now, as she used to
in the past. She feels she
can say anything to him, as
if they were an couple
without problems. She
doesn’t want to be
separated from him.
lines 1-4
lines 56-7
lines 72-5
She remembers when they
first met, in Italy. She
immediately liked his frail
physical appearance, similar
to a ‘young hawk’, and his
natural kindness. She felt she
could be herself with him,
and tell him everything. She
believed she could rely on
him and she hoped she too
could in turn help him.
lines 4-22
He sees her in a very positive
way. He feels he can follow
her thoughts, her superficiality
is seen positively – it gives her
the solid foundation that
Septimus lacks, he sees her
as spiritually free and strong,
able to cope with the weight
of “human nature” where he
is not.
lines 24-33
lines 60-9
They will not allow anyone,
Bradshaw or Holmes, to
separate them. They will go
away to escape from the
doctors.
lines 57-8
lines 70-5
freedom and
‘lightness’ (lines 26-7),
but also firmness and
self-awareness
(lines 27-30)
flowering tree (lines 60-1)
Rezia
flower (line 60)
little hen (line 82)
What do they
share?
spiritual peace,
balance, lack of fear
as if she were a point
of reference for him, a
shelter (lines 60-2; line
69) from danger
beauty, frailty,
a protective, motherly
attitude towards
weaker creatures
(lines 82-3)
b Trees are associated with life, protection and love. Contrasted to flowers, which are frail
and delicate and therefore symbolize transience, trees symbolize longevity and a
strong, powerful attachment to the earth. “Universal love” (lines 50-2) is that for human
beings and nature. This vision is shared by Clarissa (who feels part of “the trees at home”)
and by Septimus (who does not want trees to be cut and associates his wife, the person
he loves most, to “a flowering tree”).
30 Open ended. Suggested answer: Septimus’s final act can be seen as a definitive escape
from his persecutors. In this way he gives them what they want, something which responds
to their idea of tragedy, not his. His own idea of tragedy is living in the hands of the doctors,
either Dr Holmes or Dr Bradshaw, it does not matter which one, as they both are ‘agents
of death and destruction’. Septimus’s inability to communicate does not depend on him
but on the inability of the doctors (who claim to be specialists, able to treat mentally ill
people but who are in fact arrogant and incompetent) to deal with him and understand
him. His last words stay in the readers’ mind as an incontrovertible accusation against society
as a whole and its wrong values.
VI: Peter’s Vision
31 a “prancing, sparkling, with the stateliness of her grey hair. She wore […] its element.”
(lines 1-7); “There was a breath of tenderness; […] take her leave.” (lines 9-15)
28 Dr Holmes forces his way into the room; he uses brute force to impose his will on his patients
and their relatives. The readers’ negative opinion of him is here confirmed. The verb “push
aside” is used also in a figurative way, to highlight the doctor’s aggression and arrogance.
He ‘pushes aside’ whatever he doesn’t understand or doesn’t like.
42
43
b
what image does
he associate with her?
that of a mermaid looking at the setting sun
reflected in her mirror (line 8)
Clarissa’s special gift
making people feel at ease as if she cared for
everybody in a special way (lines 11-15)
35 •
Clarissa has understood that the world she lives in is based on material values and that
the ‘privacy of the soul’ (see introduction to Passage V) is more important than the
outward signs of material success (embodied by the fashionable guests and by the
Prime Minister himself).
•
She has understood that one must preserve some sort of spiritual liberty and
independence to maintain the ‘privacy of the soul’, not to be totally controlled by the
obscure forces of evil that Clarissa sees embodied by Dr Bradshaw.
•
Death is a sort of liberation from life, when it has become intolerable and too painful.
It is an extreme act of independence (lines 62-5) and of communion with nature‘s
eternal cycle.
•
Only truly sincere human relationships can make life meaningful and worth living.
32 Peter says to himself that he is not in love with Clarissa. He suffered because of her (see
Passage I: Clarissa, Activity 4), he admires her and admits there is a special bond of
affection between them, but he rejects anything more. (There may be the suggestion that
in fact there is more to his feelings for her than he admits.)
33 Open ended. Suggested answer: yes, it is a ‘moment of being’ as Peter has finally
understood the reason why Clarissa is so special to him.
VII: Clarissa’s Vision
34
Topic
Your notes
Where in the text?
who the late guests are
Sir William Bradshaw and
Lady Bradshaw.
lines 1-3
lines 7-8
what they do and what they
talk about
They apologize for being late;
Lady Bradshaw talks to Clarissa
about social life, about their son
at Eton and the reason for their
delay in coming, they had learnt
that one of Sir William’s patients
had committed suicide.
Sir William Bradshaw talks to
Peter about politics and about
Septimus’s difficult case.
lines 5-8
lines18-20
Clarissa’s opinion of them
She doesn’t like them. She thinks
Lady Bradshaw is similar to a
sea-lion; she considers her a silly,
empty woman who one couldn’t
dislike. Lady Bradshaw is happy to
live in the shadow of her husband
and his success.
Clarissa considers Sir Bradshaw
dangerous and is repelled by him,
but she can’t explain why in a
rational way. She guesses
intuitively that he is insensitive to
his patients’ problems.
44
lines 35-8
lines 28-31
36
“Clarissa thinks about Septimus’s suicide. She compares it in her mind with the occasion when she
had thrown a coin into the Serpentine. This was the most that she had ever achieved by way of a
spontaneous gesture of extravagance or defiance. She senses that Septimus, by throwing away his
life, may have preserved something valuable, something that lies hidden behind all the chatter,
insincerity and corruption. Perhaps his death was an attempt to communicate his refusal to give up
something that he believed in.” (John Mepham, p. 27).
37 Open-ended. Suggested answer: Clarissa has understood that she is compromised with the
society that has ‘murdered’ Septimus’s spirit, whether through the war or through the
medical mistreatment of his mental derangement. She is aligned with this society’s values:
she is perfectly conventional (as a hostess and a rich lady) and, at the same time, a misfit,
as she doesn’t feel completely at ease among its champions (represented by the Bradshaws
and the guests, from whom Clarissa escapes into the little room).
VII: The Remains of the day
38 Open ended. Students should be encouraged to take into consideration the central role
of Elizabeth in this last scene. She is young and beautiful and symbolizes the continuity of
life. She is the promise of a positive future.
lines 1-3
lines 32-5
lines 10-16
lines 23-8
39 a Clarissa decides to leave the little room that symbolizes her own private space in order
to return to the public sphere, to share her life with her family and friends. After her
reflections about death and the ultimate meaning of life, she has realized that she does
have something precious to give her a reason for living – that is her relationships with
other people.
b Peter’s reaction (his terror and ecstasy) at Clarissa’s reappearance epitomizes the
ambiguity that characterizes interpersonal relationships, which is one of the major
themes of the novel. Sally’s last words highlight another central theme, that is the bond
between the mind and the soul, which is essential to understanding life’s ultimate
meaning. The scene as a whole represents the ideal link between the past (Peter and
Sally), the present (Richard and the guests) and the future (Elizabeth).
45
The Novel as a Whole
The activities in this section are open ended. They have been devised to trigger off class
discussion and stimulate students to express individual opinions. The following notes are therefore
to be intended as further points to think about or suggestions for the students to develop.
1 Through the use of such techniques the text becomes elusive: the narrative voice avoids
identification with any form of ‘authority’ (as in more traditional narrative with the omniscient
narrator) and the reader is free to form his/her own opinion of what is going on in the
fictional world. The reader is placed ‘inside’ the action, which is ‘internal’ as it takes place
more in the characters’ minds than in the external world.
2 Big Ben represents common, objective time shared by all the characters: its chiming
provides a common point of reference, something certain and fixed in the continuous flow
of life. The environment is the common space where all the characters act and move while
their minds are filled with their own affairs. The narrative techniques employed do not
constitute merely the form of what Woolf narrates, but they are intrinsically connected with
the subject matter of the novel, as it is synonymous with characterization. Woolf wants to
demonstrate that meaningful life takes place in the mind, therefore she needs this flexible
style to slide in and out her characters’ streams of consciousness without interrupting the
narrative flow.
3 Both Clarissa and Septimus struggle to make sense of death. When she was young, Clarissa
elaborated a complex personal theory about death (see introduction to Passage VI): she
still believes that an unseen part of ourselves can spread among the people and the places
we love (see Passage I, lines 57-63). This is the relationship between the two characters,
even if they have never met. They are united by their common love for nature (see their
love for trees) and by their mutual attachment to certain values such as personal freedom
and respect (see their common hatred for Dr Bradshaw). Septimus’s invisible self ‘haunts’
Clarissa’s little room (her innermost self) and helps her understand herself (what is really
important in life) and her life (how she cares for her family and friends). In a sense,
therefore, Clarissa and Septimus fulfil the ideal connection between the living and the dead
which they both strongly believe in.
© 1996 Cideb Editrice
Balck Cat Publishing is an imprint of Cideb Editrice.
46